Restoring Retro in Home and Dress

08/29/2018

1940s Gray Gingham Rayon Dress

This dress was a bit of a fun challenge. I've sewn up dozens of vintage patterns over the years, but this is the first time I've done darts like this - yet don't they add such a quintessential and fun 1940s touch?

First I had to sew the shoulder seams, and then do each dart all at once, from front to back right over the shoulder seam. Other than transferring all those dart markings, it really wasn't too bad and turned out very nicely the first try!

The sleeves also had dart detail. Otherwise it was a simple dress with a button front and fold down collar. I forgot to lengthen the back collar seam when I cut out the bodice piece a size larger (grrr) so had to piece it. Thankfully that part is underneath since you are seeing the facing piece!

I used the skirt from the same pattern I used for my Thanksgiving dress a few years ago. I really liked how that skirt looked but thought it would be better in a limper fabric like rayon, so decided to use it again here instead of the plain 4 gore skirt that was paired with this bodice . It does add a little more character to the dress, and those narrow gores do hang much better!

I had a fair amount of trouble with the bodice fit - so much so that I actually took it apart and redid part of it. Usually I'm a "slap a belt over top and call it good" sort of person, but this time there was no way I could make it fit right so I ripped out part of the zipper, the waist seam, and redid it differently to suit me better. It came out much nicer the 2nd time around so it was definitely worth the extra effort!

I also started with silver buttons, but they just didn't seem to look right, so switched them out for covered buttons (on the bias of course) instead and was much more pleased with the result.

So it was not exactly a speedy dress for all its simple lines, but much more pleasing in the end. It's interesting to note how that sometimes an image in your mind just doesn't look the same in real life, and to keep flexibility and second options on the table.

The gray is so versatile. It can be dressed up or down for spring, summer, or fall. Here I pair it with a sweet new to me lavender hat (in poor shape but it only cost $4 at an antique store) and gloves that I dyed YEARS ago and just happen to match the hat perfectly!

A silver gray like this also goes with black, of course, and I tend to default pair it with navy blue accessories (though I'm really liking it with lavender!), but honestly - red, green, yellow, teal, pink, raspberry, purple...the accessorizing possibilities are endless.

Just to demonstrate a bit, here's the same dress with a springish mixture of aqua and light pink.

And here it is again, a little more formal, with dark green and black. (Ok, so my barnyard backdrop is not so sophisticated...;-D)

The gloves deserve their own little photo since they are so unique. Called "balloon gloves", I got a pair on eBay years ago because they were simply so unusual. I've rarely worn them, but still! :-)

I'm really happy that my work of stitching and restitching turned out so well, and expect to get a lot of wear out of this since it is so versatile and fits so many occasions easily. Maybe next summer, though, since the weather here has turned cool already, and I don't want to cover up those amazing shoulder darts with a sweater!

Comments

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I'm not sure why, precisely, but I think of all the gorgeous dresses you've mad this is my favorite! Something about the simple lines, the soft color, the pretty little collar-It all combines into a lovely, versatile dress. Oh, and I must say those gloves are awesome! I don't think I've even heard of balloon gloves!